I'll Love You Forever - The Book

GIVING BACK: EVERYDAY STORIES . FOREVER TOLD .

When I was first trying to decide what I would name the Forever Stories I couldn't stop thinking of my favorite children's book.

I'll Love You Forever is written by Robert N. Munsch 

I loved the book as I wanted this little boy grow and his mother singing him this one song every night, then when she is to old to do so he singing to her.  It's amazing a a tear jerk.  So I decided to do some research about the author and book.  

I found this, as Mr. Munsch writes on his Web site:

“I made that up after my wife and I had two babies born dead. The song was my song to my dead babies. For a long time I had it in my head and I couldn’t even sing it because every time I tried to sing it I cried. It was very strange having a song in my head that I couldn’t sing.

For a long time it was just a song but one day, while telling stories at a big theatre at the University of Guelph, it occurred to me that I might be able to make a story around the song.

Out popped Love You Forever, pretty much the way it is in the book.”

What?! WOW!  So not only does it have its own meaning to me; as it tells a story of the evolving relationship between a boy and his mother. But reading it again I can see his love and view as well.  

So as I thought and thought of the names for these stories, I just knew it had to be from this look.  Because this song, this song is everything:

“I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
as long as I’m living
my baby you’ll be.”

I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER

  GIVING BACK: EVERYDAY STORIES . FOREVER TOLD .

These ‘Day in the Life’ sessions are the soul and heart of why I do what I do.  These sessions are for terminally ill family members.  Facing terminal illness is very personal for me and inspired me to see the importance of preserving everyday memories.  

In 2013 my husband was diagnosed with testicular cancer.  Our son was 9 months old at the time and I was faced with the fears that our young son might not ever know his dad. Thankfully Cody was able to go through a few hard months of chemo and was given the great news that they saw no more.  Currently we are going through the 5 years of checkups required before he is deemed 100% cancer free.  

During that time, I watched the man I love go through chemo and yet still fight to be apart of our family as much as he could.  I watched him play with our son and live in the moment, despite the internal battle he was fighting daily.  Our little boy is his whole world, but Axle would never really know, had the chemo not worked.   Our son would only have had his birth photos and a collection of cell phone pictures I took during the first year, along with a few cell phone videos.  And so I started photographing with my professional camera and take photos that I wanted Axle to remember, to have and look at someday about this time in our lives.  From this trying time in our life, the ‘Love You Forever: DITL’ sessions were born.

The ‘Love You Forever: DITL’ sessions include a short consultation the night before to meet the family and get acquainted.  

The following morning,  I wake up and start photographing everything from the moment your eyes open to the moment they closed again for the night.  

I want to shoot your everyday life, to remind you what life is like right now and to give family members something to look back on.  

I want your kids to know see how despite the difficulty it was for you to get up, you walked into the room with a smile on your face ready to do whatever they needed.  Your strength shines through your pain and that will be remembered and cherished by your family.

I want them to remember how you used to cut their sandwiches in different shapes and write love notes on the napkins before sending them to school.

I want them to remember how you read them books and would sing their favorite lullabies before they went to bed.

And within this album of your family photos, I encourage you to write letters and words of wisdom that can be added into the album.  To see your thoughts, handwriting, and love coming through the pages in a variety of different ways.

If you know a family member that is terminally ill or you are facing illness and this is something that you would like to give your family, please contact me.

I'LL LIKE YOU FOR ALWAYS

GIVING BACK: EVERYDAY STORIES . FOREVER TOLD .

As my husband and I were looking toward expanding our family through adoption, I found myself wondering how I wanted to share this story with my adoptive child(ren).  For Axle’s birth we had a birth photographer and from that I started dreaming of an adoption photographer and how I wanted to tell our story.  As the weeks went on I started thinking of my future child’s birth mom.  What about her?  What will this experience mean for her and will she have anything to remember this moment?  

The idea of offering free sessions to birth moms was born.  I contacted local adoption agencies and found one that was just as in love and as passionate in giving these moms a special album of photos that they could cherish forever.  I come in for an hour or two and just take photos for the birth mom, I get any shots that she might want.  Then she receives an album of 30 of their favorite images and a CD with all images.  

“A BIRTH MOM PUTS THE NEEDS OF HER CHILD BEFORE THE WANTS OF HER HEART”

I want to tell your story.  I want you, as a birth mom, to have more then cell phone pictures of your little one.  If that means we photograph the birth, fresh 48, or documentary newborn session, I want you to have sweet memories of the difficult decision you are boldly making for your baby.  

These photos are for you to proudly show your story of motherhood.  You gave them a life that you knew you couldn’t give on your own.  You are amazing!  In the past, women used to give birth and have their adoptions done in private, told never to talk about it and to just move on.  I don’t want you to feel that your baby is something you cannot be proud of because you truly are putting the needs of your child, before the wants of your heart.

IF YOU ARE A BIRTH MOM OR KNOW OF A BIRTH MOM PLEASE CONTACT ME.